So it’s actually been a year since I started the tracks for the Bluevibe studio presents EP and they’re finally ready to go off to get mastered. This EP has been a bit of a labour of love for me and while I actually have another 2 EP’s more or less completed I’m really excited to be finally getting these tracks out. It didn’t actually seem like a year until Lisa Preston pointed it out, I guess that’s because I’ve had a baby and started a new job since this project kicked off and the months have just flown by, that’s babies for ya! [Read more →]

Since launching the blog I’ve been getting more and more requests from people to come and record at the studio which has been great but I’ve now decided that I’ll only be working on my own projects and collaborations. I’ve been really busy finishing the new EP and working on new tracks with more collaborators and the commercial nature of the studio has taken a back seat. With that in mind I thought I’d put together a list of studio’s in Auckland for those of you who need to get some recording done. I’ll still be doing remixes and working on collaborations so get in touch if your feeling some of the Bluevibe tracks.

The first studio I’m going to recommend is Depot sound over on the shore in Devonport. This is a community studio which is part of The Depot Artspace and has an excellent sounding live recording room. The rates are very cheap and the staff are always excited to work with new artists. This studio has a basic level of kit based around a Digi002 protools system and is an ideal place to record if your on a tight budget. It’s also great for home producers who may want to track drums in a budget studio and mix the project at home. The other reason I’m recommending Depot sound is because I work in the same building as the studio and while I’m not personally involved I love the fact the studio focuses on offering a great service at a budget price to bands who would not be able to record anywhere else. I also love that Calum (studio manager) often uses connecting the art gallery as a reverb chamber with amazing results!

If you have more of a budget check out some of these other studios, check out their websites to get an idea of their kit list and the type of clients they work with. I like a studio with a bit of vibe to it so make sure you go and check the place out before booking anything, obvious I know but you’d be surprised how many people like to book studio time without seeing the place. If you’ve got any studio’s you’d like to add to the list just let me know and I’ll add them if they’ve got the right vibe!

Depot sound
Kog studios and mastering
Lab Recording Studio
Beaver Studios
Platform studios
York Street Recording Studios
Studio 203
The Rock factory
Earwig studios

I’m a bit of a gear head and love anything analog especially when it’s used in a live situation. Greg Brice is a bit of an Auckland legend when it comes to gear and builds some of the best hand made eq’s and compressors in New Zealand. Greg also has an amazing studio full of vintage gear which I’ve actually only visited once for about an hour but it’s the kind of place I could spend days in tweaking knobs and flicking switches. Greg also makes music and will be taking his “ekadek thunderbird 3 live rig” out of the studio and in to the Dogs Bollix this Thursday supporting “crash test for favourite things ”
Greg describes the rig as “a mad station of unprogrammable 60s-70s sound machines” which he improvises with to create his dubbed out “minimal electro grunge”.

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Holdin On - MagOwl edit - pre master version

I’m currently finishing the new EP which is the first in the “Bluevibe studio presents” series and has been in progress for about 4 months. What I’m going to do is go through all the stages involved in putting out this EP so that you get an idea about the release from start to finish and hopefully collaborate on a few ideas. The track you should be listening to whilst reading this is a remix of the first track on the EP my MagOwl. It’s a pre master version but is essentially finished except the final master. I’m currently in stage 2 of the release, outlining these stages has been a great exercise and is helping me stay focused on actually getting this EP out.

These stages are my method of working and may not be yours, I’d be interested to here how you define this kind of process and what works for you? Ok lets look at the stages then. [Read more →]

It’s been a big 2007 at the Bluevibe studio, I’ve been working out just what I’ve been doing locked away in the studio for the last 12 months. What’s this got to do with Warner music and Radiohead you ask? Well I’ve been spending quite a bit of time this year looking at the music industry, getting involved with a few different blogs and generally trying to decide my next steps in getting my music out there. This article from Mashable is one that really stuck in my head and made me think about the current environment and what that means for musicians and labels.

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SampleSwap.org

SampleSwap is one of the oldest collections of samples available on the web and is an excellent resource for all types of sounds for your tracks. The classic breaks alone are well worth downloading as they are high quality version of many classic breaks and beats. The whole site has been recently updated to make it easier to preview and download the samples plus you can now buy a DVD with over 4GB of samples from the site.

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